NACC Join Hands with Capital Kids Cricket Towards ‘Bowl Out Racism’ Campaign – By Shahidul Alam Ratan

Capital Kids Cricket (CKC) is delighted to get support from The National Asian Cricket Council (NACC. Now both CKC and NACC have joined forces to promote the “Bowl Out Racism“ campaign across England and Wales.

Since the launch of the campaign, CKC have visited a number of schools, clubs, community groups, and corporates with the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy 2019 to promote the campaign. We are delighted that close to 10,000 young people and adults were able to take photo opportunities at over 80 events. 

Gulfraz Riaz, the Chairman of NACC proudly stated, “We are very pleased to support the campaign launched by Capital Kids Cricket, on 28th January 2022 at the MCC Academy, Lord’s. The NACC fully endorse this hugely beneficial initiative. With the raising of awareness and addressing the issues through education, we strongly believe that together we will root out racism and discrimination from grassroots cricket, thereby encouraging and enabling more youngsters from minority communities to get involved in cricket from a young age and continue on their journey for as long as possible.”

Working with partners, including the ECB, the Mayor of London’s Office, MCC, County Cricket Clubs, NACC, and others within and beyond the cricket family, the campaign will focus on education and raising awareness from the grassroots level to the professional arena. 

The “Bowl Out Racism” will make it clear that there is no place for racism and discrimination in our game and society. 

The campaign will focus on three key areas:

Education – We will work with schools, clubs, and partners to develop and deliver educational workshops and materials that can be used by teachers, parents, and coaches to educate children and young people about racism and all forms of discrimination. 

Raising awareness – Understanding, embracing, and celebrating different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs

Respect – Using the “Spirit of Cricket” as a foundation, we will promote equality and respect both on and off the field of play.

CKC will be working with partners within and beyond the cricket family to develop effective resources which can be utilised in schools, communities, and clubs so children and young people learn more about racism, all forms of discrimination, what they are, and how they can help to eradicate them. 

Shahidul Alam, CEO of Capital Kids Cricket said: “We are delighted to partner with the NACC to promote the campaign. This partnership will be key in engaging with more people from the South Asian Community through its network throughout England & Wales. Since the beginning of our journey in 1989 Capital Kids Cricket has always been a diverse cricket organisation working with the most deprived children and young people across London. NACC will be key part of our journey. CKC will share resource materials with NACC for using in clubs, leagues from the very beginning of the cricket summer”.

During the launch of the campaign on 28th January 2022, Tom Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of the England and Wales Cricket Board said: “We are committed to driving discrimination out of our sport. We welcome the Bowl Out Racism campaign being launched by Capital Kids Cricket, which will engage young people with cricket in schools across London.

“Education has a vital role to play in making cricket the inclusive, welcoming sport we want it to be, and by working together across the whole game I am confident we can achieve real and lasting change.”

Chairman of CKC, Haydn Turner, said: A local London initiative that needs to go national. 

Contact: S Alam Ratan –  Shahidul.alam@ckc.london

Gulfraz Riaz –  info@nacc.co